From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
05-06-2021, 08:43 PM (This post was last modified: 05-10-2021, 05:43 AM by Harper.)
HARPER
Though the eruption had left most of Apopo a ruined, ash-drowned lump that looked more like a sagging breast that was left in a fire pit too long than a volcano, it doesn’t dissuade Harper from visiting. All breasts are good breasts after all, even overcooked ones.
Admittedly the appeal dies a little after seeing all the soot. That’s not going to wash out easily. Thankfully these are his adventure clothes, also known as a threadbare shirt and shorts that are a little too revealing. Good thing he’s secure I’m both his masculinity and his ego, because he has a great ass for a man and he knows it.
When the ash becomes more annoying than fun, Harper heads for the river at the side of the mountain, where Rainbow Road lies beyond its sparkling depths. With summer’s heat beating down on his shoulders, Harper eyes the shoreline (not particularly shrewdly since he’s not body shy) before ripping his shirt off and toeing off his shoes, letting out a whoop of excitement before plunging in. Only to minutes later give a garbled noise of surprise as a sleek, blush-hued something strokes against his legs. Harper stared down where he’s treading water and - “Holy shit are you a dolphin?!” rings across the water on a hilarious breaking of the silence.
oh poor atlas, the world's a beast of a burden and you've been holding on a very long time
Silence is golden, and you've got my hopes up We talk too much
There’s an easy explanation for what brings Nate so close to the mouth of Apopo, when ordinarily it’s the last place he’d want to be. Plants. Volcanic ash is a better fertilizer than most, and he has a whole garden to replace, thanks to the double whammy of Flowerbirth storms and a Longnight mob.
With a spade in hang and a bulging, dirty tote at his side, he wipes some imagined sweat off his brow (smearing ash across his forehead) and begins the trek back down the mountain, meandering in the direction of the rainbow road, if only because it’s the prettiest vista to walk along.
Silent as church mouse, he finds the riverbank, and something more. A recently vacated shirt, atop a pair of shoes, their owner absolutely impossible to miss with the way he splashes in the water. At first, Nate’s content to be a voyeur, but he realizes after a beat that he recognizes this would be skinny dipper. Sitting himself down squarely on the shoes and shirt, Nate grins out across the water. ”Not a dolphin.” He shouts.
No hesitation, what are we waiting for? We talk too much
The shout from the bank is another surprise, and Harper whirls in the water awkwardly to try and avoid kicking the inquisitive creature below the surface. There's a lot happening all at once which is a bit unanticipated considering the complete lack of interaction he's had all day, but even the rapidfire changes can't keep a boyish grin of delight from pulling across his lips as the man on the shore is readily recognized. And sitting on his stuff, Harper notes with amusement. "Yeah, dolphins aren't usually so hairy and ugly!" he calls back, the brightness of his tone making it clear that it's a gentle jibe.
Harper swims closer to the shore, the dolphin - or what he thinks is a dolphin, but in his world they sure weren't pink - sliding insistently past his legs. At least they have their inquisitiveness in common with the dolphins he knows. "Is it supposed to be pink?" Can Nate even see the dolphin through the water, or is he going to assume Harper's talking about something far more hilarious dirty?
oh poor atlas, the world's a beast of a burden and you've been holding on a very long time
Silence is golden, and you've got my hopes up We talk too much
His bag is set down on the ground beside him, the ascended stretching out and getting comfortable where he sits and watches Harper. ”Thats a bold attitude to take with a guy who directly controls how dry your clothes stay, bud.” Nate warns with a laugh, shifting to grab a show and wave it for emphasis.
Sure, Nate could put two and two together, make an educated bridge between ‘dolphin’ and ‘pink’, but it’s more fun play dumb, cocking his head to the side as he tosses the shoe in his hand up and catches it again. ”I think pink is a pretty common colour, but I think it’s supposed to marche the rest of you.”
No hesitation, what are we waiting for? We talk too much
A squawk of protest echoes over the river’s lazy current at Nate’s threat. Only a moment later does his brain catch up, and laughter spills brightly on the tail end of it. “If you wanted a wet t-shirt contest you should’ve told me before I already revealed all the goods!” His boyish, cheeky grin might not be clearly visible from the shore, but it doesn’t stop it from spreading like wildfire across his lips.
Admittedly his attention is pretty torn between concern for his poor innocent shoe and the weird, sleek feeling of the dolphin butting up against his legs. It doesn’t mean he didn’t absolutely walk into that one though. “Oh, so handsome? Yeah I think it fits the bill,” he volleys back, arms working steadily to stay afloat in the current. But shouting isn’t very conducive for conversations, even if they’re mostly just raising their voices. “Come in and I’ll show ya how handsome it is!” Harper crows, a hand dipping down as if gesturing vulgarly when all he’s really doing is feeling for the dolphin’s back fin with curious fingers.
oh poor atlas, the world's a beast of a burden and you've been holding on a very long time
Silence is golden, and you've got my hopes up We talk too much
“Oh, I’m not complaining about the show.” There’s no small amount of amusement in Nate’s voice as he pushes himself up to his feet, stretching while he does.
Nate can’t help the way his gaze drops to follow the jerking motion of Harpers hand beneath the current, though the flash of something truly pink has his brows pinching briefly. The ascended rises to his feet, trying to catch a better look while absent-mindedly doing exactly what Harper had suggested, and stripping down to nothing himself. Easy enough when all he has is a shirt and shorts.
Shoe still in hand, Nate wades into the current. He very nearly loses his footing when he steps on a particularly slick rock (or maybe a fish), Harpers shoe is tossed into the air so he can try and right himself, and caught again by a holographic hand that flickers into existence as Nate slips under the surface. And he finally catches sight of the pink, a bright grin on his lips when he resurfaces, flicks his hair back. “I didn’t know empanadas came up this far.”
No hesitation, what are we waiting for? We talk too much
Harper isn't sure how good Nate's eyesight is, if the rose of his cheeks and tips of his ears is visible at the blatant teasing, but his flustered laugh is definitely audible and damning enough. For all his puns and charm, he's only got a few good minutes of flirtatious comebacks before he falters. Harper determinedly does not watch as the man shucks his clothing to wade into the water, though his gaze is jerked back abruptly when Nate's feet go out from under him.
An aborted call is halfway up his throat when the electric arm appears to catch Harper's shoe while the Ascended is beneath the surface, and then it dies away in a stunned silence. He wouldn't have mourned the loss of the shoe overmuch, but he's both grateful it has been saved and intrigued by the casual display of power. Before he can ask though, Nate is saying something incredibly confusing (which is Harper's nice way of saying stupid). "What? Empanada? Like the food?" What in the world is happening between pink dolphins, electric spider-arms, and now aquatic breaded entrees? Whatever it is, the dolphin seems intent on checking out the new river explorer, cresting just beneath the surface to bump its long nose against Nate's knees.
oh poor atlas, the world's a beast of a burden and you've been holding on a very long time
Silence is golden, and you've got my hopes up We talk too much
The dolphin is only a touch less interesting than the reddened cheeks and choked laugh of the other man, though nearly all of Nates interest is sapped by his fall. And the increasing closeness of the dolphin, some paranoid part of his mind convinced that somehow, this creature knew about his last, less than stellar encounter with one of its kind.
Shaking water out of his hair, Nate furrows his brows at Harper, confused right back by the stupid (he’s not too nice to say it) question. “Empanada. Like the fucking pink dolphins.” Nate snaps back immediately, refusing to even entertain the thought that he could be wrong. But, he’s not above gaming his chances anyway, his false arm tossing the shoe ever so delicately over Harpers head, then flickering out of existence.
Yea, that should be a good distraction.
No hesitation, what are we waiting for? We talk too much
There's certainly a lot to focus on between dark hair dripping water over bright eyes, an inquisitive dolphin, wordplay he can't comprehend, and Ascended magic. Harper is entirely too ADHD for this. At least he is good at reacting, especially to movement, and as his shoe sails overhead Nate's blunt confusion is forgotten as he lurches backwards in the water towards his poor shoe.
He catches it - of course he does - but not without dunking every other bit of himself in the water, getting some up his nose in the process. He resurfaces with a sputter, shaking his wet curls out of his face like a soaked dog. "Hey, the shoe's innocent here!" Holding it aloft overhead to keep it clear of the water (and Nate's shenanigans) seems to attract the dolphin's attention at least. A pale pink head pops from the water between the two men, a clicking squeak echoing as it flaps its fins. Harper ogles at it, bewildered, before turning his attention to Nate, legs kicking to keep himself afloat. "I don't think I trust a dolphin to play fetch with my shoe, I'll end up walking home barefoot," he admits with a boyish grin. "Buuuuttt..."
Without further ado, he tosses his shoe back towards Nate with a devilish grin.
oh poor atlas, the world's a beast of a burden and you've been holding on a very long time
Silence is golden, and you've got my hopes up We talk too much
A bright laugh leaves Nate as he watches the lengths Harper goes to to rescue his shoe. Fuck, he all but doubles over when the other pops back up, sopping wet. "You saved it, didn't you?" He points out with no small amount of amusement, his eye on the dolphin between them now, wondering if it wants to join in his on his shenanigans.
"But?" Nate replies, almost not seeing the shoe as it comes flying towards him. Honestly, he probably wouldn't have noticed, if not for the sudden movement of the encantado. A crackling arm shoots out, catching the shoe just before it's snapped up by the dolphin. "Keep away, huh?" His tongue wags, and he launches the shoe back towards Harper, keeping it high and slow.
No hesitation, what are we waiting for? We talk too much
"You saved it didn't you?" he mimics in a high pitched tone, only for the mockery to break apart as he laughs. It's almost a disappointment when the man catches the shoe as it's thrown once more, though the catch itself is impressive considering the eager dolphin intent on bodyslamming them for the chance to steal the item midair. The magic is impressive too of course, but Harper narrows his eyes at the electrical arm playfully all the same, wishing he had something to level the playing field.
"Until it drowns one of us when it gets angry," he agrees, pushing off the bottom of the river to jump halfway out to grasp the shoe in one hand. The encantado squeaks and trills unhappily - or so Harper assumes, he doesn't speak dolphin - and circles around Harper tightly, sleek body brushing against his bare legs. Yelping at the odd sensation, he throws the shoe back towards Nate, the sun sending prisms of light through the droplets as they hang, and their laughter harmonizes with the river's slow-moving burbles as they spend the afternoon being silly and stupid.
- FIN
oh poor atlas, the world's a beast of a burden and you've been holding on a very long time
